The Wonder Stuff - Suspended By Stars by
Did you know that The Wonder Stuff formed almost exactly 20 years ago? I was only five years old, but there'll be some out there who will feel very old to learn that news. They are more commonly remembered for their hits in the late 80s/early 90s Madchester era, like Size Of A Cow and Dizzy, and when they split up in 1994 not many really noticed.
But they got back together again in 2000 and started touring, as well as releasing comeback album Escape From Rubbish Island, to some acclaim, but little real attention from anyone other than die-hard fans looking to relive their heyday, And now they have a new album to celebrate their anniversary, and while it's hardly been trumpeted in the music press, there's plenty in here for fans, old and new, to enjoy.
Recent single Blah Blah, Lah Di Da highlighted the fact that frontman Miles Hunt hasn't lost any of his vim and vigour with age (despite the very serious album cover), and could so easily have been released in 1990. It's an infectious tune that could have been a hit single if Radio 1 had noticed that it was being released, but it's not 1990 anymore and it doesn't sound much like Arctic Monkeys...
However, this could still turn out to be a pretty good year for the band, because as well as this album release and a forthcoming tour, they'll be appealing to a whole new audience who weren't even born when Size Of A Cow was released. Heck, they weren't even born when Rubbish Island came out, as the Wonder Stuff will be composing and performing music for a new BBC children's TV show called Underground Ernie (basically Thomas The Tank Engine on the London Underground).
Thankfully, there's little evidence of a change of direction into kiddie music on here, with opening duo Tricks Of The Trade and Last Second Of The Minute both effective rockers, while We Hold Each Other Up is a nice ballad. Angelica Maybe is a bit of an epic, without really justifying its 7 minute runtime, which kind of sums up the problem with The Wonder Stuff. They are a fun band and have some decent tunes, but they'll always be ALMOST a great band, but never quite make it, and you get the feeling that if they were going to, it would have been quite a while ago now. |
